The San Antonio Raiders…what!?
With the St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers’ deal all but sealed after a 30-2 owners vote extending both NFL franchises the option to move to Los Angeles, the Oakland Raiders are the odd team out of the relocation bid for the time being.
Despite obvious protest from the Oakland faithful, Raiders owner Mark Davis is still said to actively be pursuing relocation plans, yet to get a stadium deal that he wants – and feels the team needs – in the Bay Area.
Alas, a recent report from Bleacher Report insider Jason Cole points out that Davis’ next move to potentially leverage the city of Oakland into a land grant/stadium deal is the threat of moving the city to San Antonio, where he reportedly holds a plot of land suitable for the stadium he’s adamant the Raiders team needs to compete.
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Andddd a live-look at Oakland Raiders fans right now…
Maybe the only time they can ever root for Jerry Jones to be successful at something? The Raiders still do not have a lease on Oakland Coliseum for next year’s NFL season 8 months out.
CBS Sports expanded on the Raiders and Davis’ relocation bid if it were to take ground in the Lone Star state:
Getting a stadium built in San Antonio wouldn’t be impossible either, because Davis has the backing of 88-year-old billionaire Red McCombs. During an interview with ESPN Radio in San Antonio on Thursday, the former Vikings and Spurs owner made it clear that if Davis brings his team to Texas, he’ll get some serious financial backing from McCombs and his friends.
“We would be happy to be investors if that what he wants,” McCombs said. “We have investors lined up if that what he wants. If he wants to keep it all to himself, that’s OK too.”
McCombs played an instrumental part in getting the Spurs to move to San Antonio in the early 1970s, and he wants to do the same for the Raiders.
“We already have 12 of the corporate entities nailed down and ready with serious commitments,” McCombs said. “We proved it with the Spurs. They said it wouldn’t work at all, and it just happens to be the best franchise now in all of sports.”
The billionaire seems optimistic about the chances of San Antonio landing the Raiders.
“What happened in Houston was absolutely the greatest thing that could happen to us short of getting somebody committed to come in here, because that cleared the runway to where now he can make his decision and go anywhere he wants to,” McCombs said.
McCombs also added that he spoke with Davis on Tuesday after the owners’ vote left the Raiders out in the cold.
If the Raiders were to move to Texas, they’d have a place to play immediately. San Antonio mayor Ivy Taylor said in August that the Alamodome could potentially be ready to host an NFL team for the 2016 season.
“We would be open to that,” Taylor said. “We are already making improvements over there for the (2018) Final Four, so we would be open to that.”
Even if Davis doesn’t move to San Antonio, at the very least, he now has leverage in his negotiations with Oakland.
And if they do, in fact, migrate to Texas, they’ll find themselves sharing the name – in part – with the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
[h/t CBS Sports]